- Concept design

- New Sense Touch user interface

HTC could be heading towards a button-less smartphone future if a recent concept design is to be believed. Called the HTC Ocean, it’s been shown off in a rendered video running a new Sense Touch user interface. What’s interesting is that the new UI relies solely on voice commands and, as the name suggests, touch gestures.

The new phone was spotted and shared on Twitter by usually reliable leakster Evan Blass, who linked to a video he found on Danelle Vermeulen’s website; Danelle is a longtime visual and motion designer for HTC. Danelle says the video is “just a conceptual piece and does not represent any real product from HTC”.

That may be true, but it could inspire future products from the Taiwanese company. The video has since been password protected on Vermeulen’s site, perhaps in an attempt to keep it a secret, although you can still view it on Evan Blass’s Twitter.

From the video, it seems the Sense Touch UI is very slick in operation, although just how slick it will be in the real world of course remains to be seen. But the fact it relies almost completely on voice commands to open apps, call friends, schedule meetings and play music looks mighty clever.

Twitter account LlabTooFeR has further added to the Ocean rumours by claiming current codenames are Ocean Master, Ocean Note and Ocean Smart, suggesting we could in fact see three new devices from HTC in the future. Whether they’ll all be smartphones or if there’ll be a tablet thrown into the mix isn’t yet clear.